Summary
JRPGs can be some of the hardest games to get into for those new to the genre or to games in general. JRPGs come ina wide variety, from turn-basedto action to tactical. Tactical or turn-based games are probably the best way for newbies to dip their toes into the genre since players can take their time in battle.
Final Fantasy 3’sremake version on Steam, or theDragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake, is a good example. They both have class systems and little stories to overcomplicate things. These other JRPGs, while they are some of the best today, have overcomplicated controls, lore, or are just plain hard.
Elden Ringwillrepresent all Souslikes, as this list would be filled with them otherwise. It’s at the top of the pile in terms of the genre with great lore drops, tons of weapons to collect, and an open-world environment to explore.
However, it’s also brutally difficult with no options to turn things down, which is true for most entries in the genre as well. Even if beginners were to jump in with friends in co-op, it wouldn’t be worth recommending because they would still need skills to survive.
Fire Emblem: Three Houseswas intense even for longtime fans of theFire Emblemseries. Choices had existed before, but not on the scale of three different campaigns, each with a dozen playable characters. In between battles, players could catch up with their party, which helped them connect better with the characters.
With so many characters, it got to be a bit much with the dialogue. The tactical battles could be toned down with the difficulty, but it really is the abundance of choice and character interaction that can make beginners freeze up, which is why it isn’t recommended.
Non-RPG fans have probably heard ofFinal Fantasy 7, and that it is thought to be the best one by many fans. This, in turn, could makeFinal Fantasy 7 Remakelook like a good place to start, asremakes are great modern introductionsto classic games.
That’s not the case here, though, because it is only part one in a trilogy that isn’t even fully out yet. That’s a big commitment to make, plus, as great as the action and story are in the remake, it’s only a small, closed-off chunk of the story that doesn’t best represent the game overall.
Kingdom Heartsis a crossover betweenFinal Fantasycharacters like Cloud fromFinal Fantasy 7and Disney animated classics like Aladdin. For fans of both, this was a great action RPG on the PS2 featuring anoriginal set of characters, too, like Sora, Kairi, and Riku. There are difficulty options, but the first game can still be challenging with the platforming segments and camera angles.
These things got better with sequels, but they’re not worth recommending either because the lore, starting in the second game, gets wildly hard to follow, and they’re all one continuous story. Players need to play a few easier action RPGs and maybe someFinal Fantasygames first before taking the plunge into Heartless territory.
The Legend of Legacywas a 3DS spiritual successor to theSaGaseries from Square Enix. It can be fully enjoyed on more platforms now, thanks toThe Legend Of Legacy HD Remastered. On one hand, it’s a great starter RPG that puts gameplay first and story second with a wonderfully bright and colorful world to explore.
However, leveling up is non-traditional like the SaGa games, wherein stats and abilities are increased or learned randomly in the turn-based battles. It can be a lot to keep track of.
Octopath Travelerwas released as a throwback to SNES RPGs with a new visual style, Square Enix called HD-2D. Players could start as one character and then meet the other seven as they explored the world and fought in simple but fun turn-based battles. Every character’s story was individual, meaning there wasn’t much interaction between the party, which was a bummer for some.
Also, characters not in the party didn’t level up, which led to more grinding than most modern RPGs when it was released. So,Octopath Travelerdoes have issues that a beginner would be perplexed by, but overall, it is a good JRPG, albeit with some nitpicky caveats.
Persona 5is an incredible time investment that can last well over 80-100 hours. It’s not too challenging if players bring down the difficulty, but that’s a lot of time to spend with one JRPG that is also linear. This linearity works inPersona 5’sfavor, though, as players can get a great look at Japanese school life and bond with their party members more than any other JRPG.
ThePersonaseriesis unique in this way, but it’s still not a great place to start for anyone coming in to experience a great big adventure.
Xenoblade Chronicles Xwas a Wii U title that was overlooked due to the system’s unpopularity, but now it has been re-released asXenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition. It was challenging back on the Wii U, and it remains brutal on the Switch thanks to the open-world structure. While traveling to quest markers, giant monsters far outside of a player’s potential will constantly trigger fights.
This can make exploring a hassle, even though death doesn’t force players to lose anything. The difficulty spikes are rough without guides, but this challenge is why some like it the most out oftheXenobladeseries, plus the multiplayer is an interesting side activity.
